We See What We Choose to See...

My mother in law passed this on to me 6 days before she lost her 4 year battle with lung cancer.  I was touched when I read it.  And I knew that day, I would always remember her when I read it.

I have searched the internet to find the author, to no avail...

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hosptial room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to drain the fluid from his lungs.

His bed was next to the room's only window.

The other man had to spend all of his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside.

The man in the other bed lived for those one hour periods when his world would be broadened and enriched by all the activity and color of the outside world.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.

Ducks and swans played on the water, while children sailed their wooden boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color with a beautiful view of the city skyline that could be seen in the distance.

As tha patient by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the patient on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing.  Although, the other man could not hear the band he could see envision it in his mind.

Days, weeks and months passed, with the patient close to the window describing the beautiful scenes to the other man.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for the patient's baths, only to find the lifeless body of the man by window, who had passed peacefully in his sleep.

She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be next to the window.  The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow, to take his first look at the world outside.

He strained to slowly turn to look out the window, beside the bed.

He faced a blank wall.

He was confused.

How could that be?

The man asked the nurse how the other patient could have described all those beautiful scenes of the exquisite world outside, when there was no window.

The nurse slowly explained that the man in the bed beside the window was blind. And, had been blind his whole life.  He wouldn't have known if there were a window there or not.

"Perhaps the blind man wanted to share encouragement and happiness with you."

So, often in our lives we are placed in situations where we can bring simple happiness to one another, to brighten another person's day, their week, their world.

Take time to share your "visions" with others in your life.